Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the booming tourism sector is expected to soar even higher with the renewed focus on gastronomy. Addressing the opening of the US$7.2-million “renovated and rebranded” Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience in Siloah, St. Elizabeth, on January 18, Mr. Bartlett said globally, gastronomy has grown into a US$150-billion industry, “which is now ripe...

Five primary schools are benefiting from a three-year Mathematics Enhancement Programme (MEP) being piloted by The Mico University College, which is aimed at improving student achievement in the subject. The institutions are Allman Town, Clan Clarthy, and John Mills Infant, Primary and Junior High in Kingston and St. Andrew; Devon Primary in Manchester; and Mineral Heights Primary in Clarendon. The...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz, says greater focus is being placed on the training of persons for the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, particularly for higher-end activities and high-value positions. He informed that the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), through its free zones, will be working closely with the HEART...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer, is urging healthcare professionals to be vigilant when administering care, as they are well-positioned to identify and assist victims of human trafficking. She said it is incumbent on them, as front-line responders, to learn about the risk factors and clinical manifestations of human trafficking. “It is important for you to treat...

The National Water Commission (NWC) will be placing increased focus on rural parishes as it intensifies activities to reduce non-revenue water (NRW) loss. “We are looking at other areas where the NRW is significantly greater than Kingston,” said President of the Commission, Mark Barnett, at a recent JIS Think Tank. “In Kingston, it’s about 60 per cent. Clarendon and St....

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, says no new taxes will be included in the 2018/19 Estimates of Expenditure He says revenue inflows have been doing “fairly well” this year, noting that the out-turn at the end of December 2017 was $13 billion ahead of projections. “Happily, with this trajectory, it is not the Government’s plan to...

The Government has launched the 2018 Extended Migration Profile of Jamaica, which can be used to inform policy development and planning. This is Jamaica’s second publication of a migration profile, which is essentially a pertinent body of research that will allow for the monitoring and evaluation of migration and development policy, and the socio-economic impact on Jamaica. It was launched...